Footwear



Feb.12,'1946. R, MAUNG l 2,394,707

FOOTWEAR Filed Deo. 8, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

Feb. 12, 1946. R MALlNG 2,394,707

I l FOOTWEAR Filed Dec. 8, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Feb. 12, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in footwear andv more especiallyto shoes andl slippers of the general type having a forepart of upperwhich is stitched to a sock-lining or flexible in'- sole element allaround the forepartwhile the upper is free of a last, after which a lastis' inserted preparatory to lasting of the rear part of the upper andthe placing' thereon of the base structure in secured relation to theupper. In particular, the invention provides suon a shoe or' slipperwhich can have a soft-sole and lightly flexible forepart and arelatively stiff and stable rear part providing adequate and effectivesupport for the arch and heelinuse of the article;

It is an object of the invention to provide a shoe orA slipper structurehaving the forepart of upper stitched to' the edge of a sock lining allaround the forepart and having the rawstitched edges of upper and socklining concealed by a binding strip turnedv over said edges andvstitched thereto in a'proiectingrelation, simulating a welt, a platformand heel base unit being secured below the sock lining andl upper withthe said binding visible all around the plane of' their cleavage attheforepart of the article.

Another object is to provide a shoe or' slipper structure having asoft-soletread element facingr the under side of al platform' elementandhavihg a binding strip secured to the soft-sole element and turnedrvover the edges ofy the forepart of the platform, the stitch: line o'f`said softes'o'le element and its binding stripbeing' drawn'o'ut of-` thetread plane, ofthe article,- at its forepart;

Still another object is tor providera soft-'sole forepa'rt' in a shoe orslipperv in which the softsoletrea'd element issecured to" the forepartof a platform element only" by a binding strip on the soft-sole element,and' said platform. and1 softsol'e': element' both are secured,` to apre-stitched `iorepartvof upper only'bythev same said binding strip onvthe soft-sole element.

A further' object isv to provide' a pre-stitched slip-lasted' forepartof shoe upper with a softsole treadA elementi associated therewithfand'. a platform element loosely encased between said forepart of uppervand said soft-sole tread' element.

It is, moreover, m'y purposefand object generally to improve upon priorshoe and slipper constructions.

Intheaccompanyingdrawings:

Figure 1I is a side-elevation of a shoe embodying features of'my'invention;

Figure 2 is a top planview thereof;

Figure 3 is ay longitudinal medial'cross-sectional View on line 3:-3 ofFigureV 2;

Figure 4 isa fragmentary sectional view.- on line 44of Figure-1; v

Figure 5 is atopl plan-of thefforepartfofa modifiedconstruction-embodying features of my inventiel.A Y

Figure Gis a top plan view ofthe platform ahfd heel unit used in theshoe' structure' of; Figure 5; Fig-.ure 'l is a fragmentary'cross-seet'ionalv view showing the upper, sock" lining and binding stripall stitched' together prior to4 association With a base structure; and

Figure 8 is a cross-sectional View on lin'e'B-S' of Figure 5, showing'the" upper structure'of Figure 7 cemented to a platfor'rn and heel unitlike that oFigjure 6.

Referring to the" drawings; the' embodiment of my invention as shown inFigs. 1-4 comprises an upper IU whose forepart" is stitched as at I2 al1around' the forepart 'ed-geto a sock lining |42, or othersuitabl'yflexible insole element, prior t-o insertion of a` last intheupper; The' edges of the upper and sock' lining'a're brought together asbest vseen in Fig. 4 withtheir raw edgesv exposed, en-

abling the ,stitching at li2 to be accomplished quickly and e'asily'justaroun'dthe'forepart, leaving the rear part of the sock lining free ofthe upper so that" a last' conveniently' may loe'` slipped into theforepart betweenk the unattached rear parts' of' upper and' sock lining,after which said rear part of the upper' may be positioned` over therear part of the ,last andv be regularly lasted to therear'part of thesockA lining. n

Accordingl to' the' invention', a platformY and heel' unit indicated:generally at l6` is pre-'formed by association and securementt'og'etherof afull length platformy element l 8 and' oneL or more heel'lift elements which may bejli'ft laminations 20,

22- and 24' as shown, or maybe any` other unitary type" 0f 11661ke'leI'nn' Such' als 2J Solid Wedge heel lift arrarigedl above or'belo'wfthelplatfrinf element H3r or a unitaryI Cubanor other heellarranged under the platform element In-the' drawings, the heel lifts=arepre-formed matted" iibre laminations hav-ing their marginal edges boundwith fabric-strips 26, the lift ZII-y extending' into the shank regionof the shoev and contributing shank curvature( The'platfomn element 8'?,asV shown,` similarly is ofi matted fibre withi't's-marginal edges'bound as' at f 28.V

It isa feature of the Vin-ven'tionthat a soft-isole tread element3Ucoverstheunder! surface of the platform eler`r1er'1tl I'8throughoutitsforepart,y area, and'E hasf prelinflinarilyv` stitchedthereto, as` at 32, all` around its foreparty edges a-` binding strip"34 of|` fabric OI other Suitable flexiblenaieial..V This stitching at 32may be accomplished wlciilethe soft-sole tread element'is'free ofi theplatform, theI binding stripV` 3W being laid" againsty the marginaledges of thetreadelement '-on-i-tsside`=wnich will be exposed;andstitche'd in afus'ualfmann'e'r.

AssumingV that a la'st has beenV slipped." into-'the pre-stitched'forepart of upper Hl; and" thatthe r'e'anpart of the upper has been"lasted aspreviouslyjdescriped; then platform and heel unit t6 A may" be'laid' in' place',l after which the" soft-sole g2 Y .i laeempr treedelement so, with its attached binding strip 34, is laid over theforepart of the platform and the binding strip 34 is turned over theforepart of the platform element I8 so that its marginal edge may besuperimposed upon the under side of the Vpre-'stitched edges of theupper and sock lining, as best seen in Figs. 3 and 4. The binding Y tstrip 34 is'drawn tight to provide a smooth arid-1y tight tread surface,and also to draw the stitch-Nv line at 32 a little over the edges of theplatform l `thereby to bring the binding strip 34 wellY out Y j of thetread plane. A binding strip 36 next is t lead over the exposed rawedges of the upper,

sock lining and binding strip 34, and all are stitched together as atY38`V all around the forepart, therebyvtoneffect securement of theYplatform forepart and its soft-sole tread element to the upper and socklining with the edge binding stripv 36 simulating a weltapproximately inthe E.; i place of cleavage between theplatform and the sock lining.

With the above Vdescribed forepart'structure, no

cement or other securement between the plat form and its tread elementor between thesev ele- The rear part of the Vplatform and heelunit maybe cemented or otherwise secured in placeV l below the lasted rear partof the upper, thereby 1 to provide a relatively stiff and stable shankand V; heel structure capable of providing adequate and effectiveVsupport for a foot in use ofthe shoe.

The soft-sole'tread .element 30 has an integral rearwardly extendingVstrip3l which effectively maybe cemented in facing relation to the under'surfaces ofthe platform Vand heel unit. It may i l constitute thewearing 'surface for the heel, Aor

a top lift 40 may be provided as shown in dotted t i Voutline in Fig. 3.Y Y

In theY form of my invention /shownin Figs. Y 5-8, 4the soft-,soletread'element 30 has the same binding strip 34 stitched thereto as at372, but Vthe `binding strip 34 in Ythis' case is turned over Y.,

the forepartedges of the platform I8 andV cemented or otherwise securedtothe upper mare ginal surface of the platform prior toV associationofthe platform with the upper.Y With thiseconstruction, the platformandheel unit with the soft-sole tread element V30 secured thereonV maybe completely assembled prior to placing it r againsttherupper, andtheunit throughout both forepart and rear part preferably is cemented inplace.V

sertion of .a last inthe upper and' this binding simulates a weltaboverthe platformall Vvaround the forepart similar to the effect in-the first described form. f Y

VI claim as my invention:V

being secured to the vlasted rear partof the upper kby cement,faexiblejt'read element facing the ,l y full area 'oftherfrorepart ofthevplatform Yand Y Also in 'this modification, the stitched Yedge'sof theforepart of the upper and the Vsock g lining are preferably bound as at42 priorto VVinhaving a nexibie binding strip secured te the iner-Vginal edge of the tread element all around its forepart, and drawn overthe edge ofthe plat-V form and stitched to the edges of said forepart ofthe upper and said sock lining, 'all three of said stitched edges beingcovered by a binding strip to simulate a welt visibly projecting at the.juncture of said platform and upper.

- 2. An articleY of footwearv comprising an uppe and a sock liningstitched together only around their foreparts and having the rear partof the upper lasted .over upon and secured to the under marginal regionof the sock lining, a platform and heel unit cemented at its rear partto said lasted rear part of the upper and its sock lining, the forepartof saidV platform andY heel; unit being within a flexible tread unit ofwhich a tread sheetfaces the under areaof the forepart of theplatformand a flexible binding strip secures the tread sheet on, theplatform, said binding strip being se- VVcured to the stitched-togetherupper and sock lining approximately all around the forepart of thearticle. Y Y

3. An article of footwear comprising an upper anda sock lining havingtheir edges vsuperimposed upon each other and stitched together onlyaround the foreparts thereof and having the rear part'of the upperlasted over upon and secured to the under marginal region of the socklining,

Ya platformand heel unit comprising a full Ylength platform Yelement anda flexible tread lelement Y facing the full area ofthe forepartof theplatformfelement including marginal means turned over the forepart edgesvof the platform element and'secured to the uppermarginal regions oftheplatform elementeall around Yits forepart, said platform :and heel unitbeing 4cemented'to the upper andV sockY lining throughoutY the fullareathereof, and the said-stitched-'together edges of the upper and socklining around the forepart having acovering binding strip securedthereover and simulating a welt between the upper and the platform andheel unitY at its forepart.

4. An article of footwear comprising an upper Y and sock lining Yunitand a platform and Yhet-,31 unit secured together by cement, said upperand sockV lining unit comprising an upper and a sock lining Y havingtheir 'forepart edges superimposedV ,upon

each other and covered withV a binding strip and secured by stitchingpassingjthrough said edges Y and the binding strip, the rear part of theupper vbeing lasted over upon and secured to the under marginalregion ofthe sock lining, and'said platformand heel unit comprising a full lengthplatform element and a flexible tread element facingY the full underarea of the forepart' of the plat. Y

form element and having a marginal extension strip turnedV over theedges of the Vplatform ele-V ment and secured to itsjuppermarginalire'gion all around the forepart, said tread Aelement having anintegral rearward extending part facing theV under' surfacesof ,-'saidflplatformiand heel .unit throughout approximately the full area Vof rear,partof thevarticle. n

5.V An article of footwear comprising an upper and socklining'stitched-together on'ly'aroundY` v their forepart edges andhaving the rear :part of the upper lasted over-.upon and secured to theunder marginal Yregion of thesock lining, anda 4of the''underfs'urfao'ey.oftheforepart' of the platform element'and having aumarginal extensionextending over the forepart edges of the platform element and stitchedto said stitched-together forepart edges of the upper and sock lining,vthere being a binding strip covering the stitched-together edges ofupper, sock lining and marginal extension of tread element around theforepart of the article and simulating a Welt.

6. An article of footwear comprising an upper, a platform and heel unitand a. flexible tread element, said tread element being suspended from10 the forepart edges of theupper, and the forepart of said platform andheel unit being loosely cradled in said suspended forepart of the treadelement and being cemented at its rear part to the upper, there being anintegral rearward extension of the tread element cemented in facingrelation to under surfaces of the rear part of the platform and heelelement.

ROY MALING.

